NEWS - ASIA, MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA
Virgin Velocity’s BP points partnership still up in the air
The fate of the ‘earn points at the pump’
partnership between Virgin Australia’s Velocity
loyalty scheme and petrol giant BP remains
unresolved, with BP considering a legal
challenge against the ACCC’s decision
to reject the company’s $1.8 billion deal to
purchase Woolworths’ chain of fuel stations.
Velocity Frequent Flyer and BP launched
their partnership in April 2015 in an effort to
equalise retail points-earning opportunities
for Velocity members against Qantas’ alliance
with Woolworths and Caltex. However,
December 2016 saw BP move to purchase
the Woolworths/Caltex chain, bringing over
500 Woolworths-branded fuel outlets under
the wing of BP. The Woolworths-Caltex
service stations would be rebranded as
BP outlets and absorbed into the larger BP
network, with BP becoming “a cornerstone
partner in Woolworths’ Everyday Rewards
loyalty program” according to the fuel retailer,
effectively dumping Virgin for Qantas.
The purchase was subject to approval by
the Australian Competition and Consumer
Commission, which has now decided to
oppose the sale due to concerns this would
raise overall petrol prices. Velocity sued BP
for attempting to wrap-up its points partnership
earlier than planned, with BP defending
its position, arguing that Velocity had
breached its partnership agreement by
allowing members to earn Velocity points
on petrol purchases at rival Coles Express
stations via its Flybuys alliance. The court
ruled in favour of BP, although the ACCC’s
decision made this a moot point.
Oman Oil uses solar power
at service stations
As part of its commitment to deploy sustainable
and clean energy at its operations,
Oman Oil Marketing Company has announced
plans to install Photovoltaic Solar
Panels at two of its service stations in Burj
Al Sahwa and Nimr stations. Fitted on the
rooftop of canopies, the panels will generate
40KWph. This latest initiative joins a long
list of environment preservation practices
adopted by Oman Oil. The company has a
long-held dedication to sustainability, which
includes green procedures and special
training to empower its employees on environmental
sustainability. In addition, energy
is conserved at forecourts with LED lights
that cut power consumption by over 40%.
The company has also installed an air monitoring
system at the Mina Al Fahal refinery to
measure and control emission levels.David
Kalife, CEO at Oman Oil Marketing Company,
said, “As a home-grown organization, it
is our responsibility to support the Sultanate’s
long-term renewable energy strategies
and protect Oman’s environment. This pilot
initiative holds great potential and promise
as the photovoltaic solar panels will reduce
the carbon emission from these stations.”
Shell completes sale of its LPG business in Hong Kong
Shell has finalised the sale of the first phase
of its Hong Kong and Macau LPG marketing
business to DCC LPG. Shell continues to operate
the LPG plant in Hong Kong, which is
part of the second phase of the transaction
and is subject to certain conditions. The sale
of Shell’s entire LPG business in Hong Kong
and Macau was announced on 5 April 2017
for an agreed fee of around $150 million.
Shell branded LPG products will continue to
be available in Hong Kong and Macau via
a long-term brand license agreement with
DCC LPG. The sale does not impact any of
Shell’s other businesses and Shell remains
committed to helping meet growing energy
demand in the area.
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